2 Best Drip Alternatives in 2025
Last updated: February 2026 • 7 min read
Drip is a popular tool for e-commerce businesses. With pricing starting at $39/mo, it can be expensive for many teams. Whether you're looking for a cheaper option, better features, or an open-source solution, we've compiled the 2 best Drip alternatives to help you find the right fit.
📋 Quick Summary
- Total alternatives: 2
- Free alternatives: 1 (Mailchimp)
- Best overall: Mailchimp
- Best free: Mailchimp
Why Look for Drip Alternatives?
People commonly look for Drip alternatives for several reasons:
- Cost: At $39/mo, Drip isn't cheap, especially for small teams and startups.
- Feature gaps: No free plan and expensive are common complaints.
- Simplicity: Some users find Drip overly complex for their needs and prefer simpler solutions.
- Data ownership: Organizations wanting data sovereignty prefer open-source, self-hosted alternatives.
- Better fit: Different tools excel at different use cases — you may find a tool that's specifically built for your workflow.
📊 Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Free Tier | Starting Price | Rating | Open Source | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drip | ✗ No | $39/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | E-commerce businesses |
| Mailchimp | ✓ 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo | $13/mo | ⭐ 4.1 | No | Small businesses getting started with email marketing |
| ActiveCampaign | ✗ No | $29/mo | ⭐ 4.3 | No | Businesses needing advanced marketing automation |
Detailed Reviews of Each Alternative
Mailchimp
All-in-one marketing platform for email campaigns and automation.
Mailchimp is one of the most recognizable email marketing platforms in the world, now offering a full marketing platform including email, social media, landing pages, and automation. Acquired by Intuit in 2021, Mailchimp serves millions of businesses with its easy-to-use tools and signature brand personality.
Pros
- ✓ Easy to use
- ✓ Great templates
- ✓ Comprehensive features
- ✓ Strong brand
Cons
- ✗ Gets expensive fast
- ✗ Limited free plan now
- ✗ Can be buggy
- ✗ Removes contacts actively
ActiveCampaign
Marketing automation platform with CRM and email marketing.
ActiveCampaign is a powerful marketing automation platform that combines email marketing, CRM, and sales automation in one tool. Known for its sophisticated automation builder and machine learning capabilities, it's popular among businesses that need advanced marketing workflows.
Pros
- ✓ Powerful automations
- ✓ Built-in CRM
- ✓ Machine learning features
- ✓ Great deliverability
Cons
- ✗ No free plan
- ✗ Can be complex
- ✗ Expensive at scale
- ✗ Learning curve
🏆 Our Recommendations
❓ FAQ
What is the best free alternative to Drip?
The best free alternative to Drip is Mailchimp, which offers 500 contacts, 1,000 sends/mo.
Is there an open-source alternative to Drip?
There are no widely-used open-source alternatives to Drip at this time, but several affordable options exist.
What is the cheapest alternative to Drip?
The cheapest alternatives are the free options: Mailchimp. For paid alternatives, prices start from as low as $13/mo.
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